Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 330

‘Shoot them’: Indian state police accused of murdering Muslims and Dalits

According to police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, it was suicide. The young Muslim man they had brought into their custody had, out of despair, killed himself in the police station toilets. But, as photos of the scene emerged, so too did suspicions. The 22-year-old man, Altaf, was 165cm (5ft 5in) tall and weighed 60kg (9.5 stone), but the toilet tap he had supposedly hanged himself from

50 years after the famous Nixon-Mao meeting, today’s leaders can learn from their nuanced political leadership

On February 21, 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon set foot in Beijing, a seminal visit that broke the ice in a relationship that has come to shape – and define – the post-Cold War global order. “Only Nixon could go to China”: the adage from Star Trek remains popular. Besides the observation’s historic importance, it also provides insights for Sino-American relations today.The meaning of the

The Re-emergence of an ‘Aerospace Clique’ in Chinese Politics?

Since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012, several accomplished Chinese systems engineers from the China Aerospace Science and Technology (CASC) and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) have been promoted to take on provincial leadership positions. The rise of technocrats in Chinese politics is certainly not a new phenomenon. Tracing back to

Beijing Olympics hit the heights -- and the depths

A giant Chinese knot symbolizing fortune and unity welcomed the athletes who paraded into Beijing's Bird's Nest for the Closing Ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. For an athlete who hasn't won a medal, such as Jamaican bobsledder Rolando Reid, whose team ranked 28th, carrying the flag provides a special moment, but it is one enjoyed by medalists, too, such as Canadian speed skater

Why China Will Not Support a Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Facing the Ukraine stand-off, the United States is very concerned about Russia and China’s interactions. For example, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby called China’s “tacit support” for Moscow “deeply alarming.” Kirby seemed to imply that China supports Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine. U.S. concern is understandable, but some U.S. officials seem to be misjudging both China-Russia

Nixon and China: 50 Years Later

From the moment U.S. President Richard Nixon landed in China on February 21, 1972, he understood that global politics would undergo a transformation that would last well into the 21st century and beyond. Indeed, even before that dramatic historic moment, Nixon envisioned China’s rise in an article he wrote in Foreign Affairs in 1967. And in his post-presidential years, he wrote a series of books

How will the Beijing Games be remembered?

The Olympic flame has been extinguished. So what does the afterglow look like. As a sporting event, it has been spectacular. However, when it is remembered in the years to come, this is what will most likely be talked about: a US-born athlete competing for China; a Russian teenager allowed to compete despite testing positive for a banned substance; a virally popular mascot; and a debilitating

Fifty years on, ‘Nixon in China’ loses its sparkle in Beijing and Washington

On a brisk winter day in February 1972, the 34-year-old American diplomat, Winston Lord, arrived in Beijing with his boss, Henry Kissinger, and president Richard Nixon. Barely an hour after they checked in to their guest house, a message came: “Chairman Mao wants to see president Nixon.”The urgency from Mao resonated with the excitement from the American delegation. The establishment of bilateral

Fifty years after Nixon's historic visit to China, questions hang over the US-China future

When US President Richard Nixon walked down the red-carpeted stairs from Air Force One to shake hands with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai on a cold day in Beijing on February 21, 1972, it was hailed by many as a world-changing gesture. Nixon's arrival -- the first time an American President had set foot on Chinese soil since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 -- came after

“Ping­Pong Diplomacy”: The Historic Opening of Sino­American Relations during the Nixon Administration

In 1970, relations between the United States and China were characterized by derisive propaganda, trade embargos, and mounting tension over international issues. In the ensuing forty years, the two countries developed into the two largest economies in the world, and the SinoAmerican liaison came to be described as the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century. The “ping-pong”